Pursuit of Happiness
by xoxoeosvugirl
Summary: Max, experimented on by her father Jeb, finds the perfect way to strike back against the abuse by throwing a wild party when Jeb's on a business trip. What could possibly go wrong? Everything. AU. Based on the movie Project X.
1. Tests and Revenge

**A/N: Sooo...I was watching the trailer for Project X and it looked AH-MAZING. Basically it's a movie about a giant party gone completely wrong. Anyway, I got the idea for this story!**

**Plot: **Maxine Batchelder has had enough. Experimented on by her father Jeb and forced to grow wings, she has always looked for a way to strike back against the years of abuse she's endured. Now, she has her chance. When Jeb leaves her home alone for a business trip, she, along with confidant Fang, decide to throw the party of the school year. It's just a normal high school party, right? Nothing could go wrong.

Think again. During the night, sparks will fly, secrets will be uncovered, and the life of Max will never be the same.

**Rating: **T for language and partying.

**Genre: **Drama/friendship with lots of ironic humor.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Maximum Ride or Project X.

**Extra Disclaimer: **I do not endorse any of the behavior in this story, whether it's testing on your daughter or throwing a wild party. Stay classy, San Diego.

* * *

><p>"Just one more test," Jeb Batchelder told his daughter Max, as he forced a needle into her arm.<p>

"Stop it!" Max screamed, swiping him away.

Max was seventeen, and she had had enough. Since the day she was born, her father, a hotshot scientist at UCLA, had used her as a guinea pig for his latest innovations, and then proceeded to show her off to his co-workers. The wildest one of all? Wings. That's right, Jeb had injected her with bird DNA, causing her to grow a quite attractive pair of wings. They were pretty useful in the flying department, but other than that? Well, Jeb just wanted to see if he could do it or not. The only catch was that Max now had to live a double life. Her friends at school, not that she had many to begin with, couldn't even come over to her house. It was ridiculous, in Max's opinion.

Jeb sighed. "You never listen to me."

"Why would I listen to someone who's always jabbing me with needles?" Max exclaimed.

He didn't respond. "Well, I'm done." Jeb pulled the needle out of her arm.

Glaring at her father, Max stood up and stomped off to her room.

"Max! Wait!" Jeb shouted at her. "I have to monitor the effects-"

She slammed the door before he finished his sentence.

"Fuck you, Jeb," she muttered as she sat down on her bed.

_One more year, _she thought. One more year and then she would turn eighteen. She'd move out, go to college, and never talk to her stupid father again. Finally-no more tests!

Her phone beeped with a text message. It was from Fang, one of her closest friends.

_Meet me at the 7-11? _his message said.

_Be right there, _Max texted back. She carefully climbed out her window and into her backyard. Since she was basically forbidden from going out, she had to constantly sneak out. Yeah, she wasn't exactly the model teenager, but Jeb was hardly the model father.

Without looking back, Max headed into the street and began the walk to the store.

"Hey," Fang greeted her. He was sitting on the bench outside of the store.

"Hey," Max sighed.

"You okay?"

Max shook her head, pulling down her shirt sleeve to show him the needle mark.

"Jeb?" Fang asked, already knowing the answer. Fang was the only one of Max's friends who knew what Jeb had done to her. She wasn't allowed to tell anyone about it, but her and Fang were so close, she didn't care. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she replied halfheartedly. "The good news is, he's leaving tomorrow for the weekend. That'll give me a break," she explained. She was looking forward to her father's absence. She would have the house to herself and not have to deal with any experiments. It would be great.

"I just wish there was some way to stop him," Max said.

"You could call the police," Fang suggested.

She shook her head. "If he went to jail, I'd probably end up living with one of his creepy co-workers, which would be even worse," she said. "Anyway, you think I want people knowing about-" she pointed to her back, "-these?"

"I think your wings are badass," Fang insisted.

Max smiled. "Well, thanks."

All she wanted was for him to stop. That's all. She didn't need fancy clothes or gadgets, she just wanted to be _normal. _Was that really so much to ask for? Apparently, in the world of Jeb Batchelder it was.

"You need to show him he can't screw around with you anymore," Fang advised her.

Max raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? And how am I supposed to do that? _He's my father._"

"Think about it. What's the one thing he'd never want you to do?"

Max did think about it. "Have people over to the house," she said. "What, you're suggesting I have a party?"

Fang shrugged. "More like a get-together. Just to show him who's boss."

"He'll take me back to the School," Max reminded him. When she was younger, Jeb had made her stay at the School, a secret UCLA lab where she had been abused and mistreated. Needless to say, it wasn't the most fun experience of her life.

Still, the more she thought about it, the more the idea made sense. It was the perfect form of revenge-not to mention the fact that she would no longer be anonymous. And hey, who knows when she might get this opportunity again? It was now or never. Who said Jeb had to know, anyway?

"Alright. Party it is." Max said. "But twenty people max," she warned him.

"Sounds good," Fang said.

"What's this about a party?" a new voice said. It was Lissa Davis, an obnoxious cheerleader from school. Max rolled her eyes. She sidled over to Fang.

_Way to eavesdrop, _Max thought.

"Um, it's Max's party..." he said.

"Yeah," Max said. "I'm just having a _small_ get-together for some of my friends tomorrow night."

Her eyes widened. "Can I come?"

"Sure," Fang said. Max glared at him. He looked at her innocently.

"Awesome. You don't mind if I bring a couple friends, do you?" she asked.

Max sighed. Why not? She was already coming. "Knock yourself out," she said.

"Sick! So, what time tomorrow?"

"Seven-ish," Max said.

Lissa waved. "See you there, Maya."

Max narrowed her eyes. "It's _Max." _

"Max. Right." Lissa giggled. "Byeee!"

The party was on.

Whether Max liked it or not.


	2. Preparation

**Three PM**

"Here's the number of the hotel I'll be staying at," Jeb explained to Max. "Call me there if you need anything. Or call Anne."

Anne Walker was one of Jeb's co-workers, the person who assisted with the bird DNA project.

"Okay," Max said, nodding. _Hurry up and leave already, _she thought. She just wanted him out of her face already.

"Remember, no flying, and nobody's allowed in the house," he said sternly.

"I _know,_" Max said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay," Jeb sighed. "I guess I'll see you on Sunday then."

He paused. "Um, love you. Be safe. Do your homework."

Max was a little surprised. _Love you? _That was the first time Max had ever heard Jeb use any terms of endearment at all.

"Thanks," she said. "Have fun in San Francisco. Ride the cable car for me."

"I'll try to squeeze it in." He smiled uneasily. "Alright, Max. Have a nice weekend."

Max held her breath, waiting for the sound of the garage door closing behind him for what seemed like forever. Finally, it did.

_Freedom!_

She was so happy, so happy to finally be _alone, _she even did a little dance around the kitchen. Max raced upstairs, plugging her iPod into her speakers and grabbing her phone. She dialed Fang's number excitedly.

"Fang? It's Max. He's gone," she said happily. "Why don't you come over and we can set up?"

"Awesome," Fang laughed. "Hey, I was thinking, do you want to go for a drive into downtown LA sometime? See a movie? Laugh at celebrities?"

Max felt a rush of excitement. "That sounds great," Max said. "It's a date."

She could feel Fang's smile even through the phone.

"Okay. Great. I'll be over in a few."

**Six PM**

After they had finished locking up all of Jeb and Max's valuables and setting up the stereo system to play music from Max's iPod, there was the issue of food.

"Jeb gave me some money, and we have lots of good stuff," Max explained. One of the (few) perks of having avian DNA was the ability to eat a ton, without gaining weight. It was every teenage girl's dream-minus the wings and experimentation part, of course. Yeah, she'd keep the food and take a big, fat pass on the other stuff.

"Should we order a few pizzas?" Fang suggested. "It's just twenty people, after all."

Max shrugged. "Sure. What do you want on yours?"

"I don't care. Pepperoni fine?"

"Anything's fine with me," she laughed.

Fang looked around the kitchen, spotting a booklet on the counter. _Combination of human and avian DNA _was the title.

"Is this Jeb's?" he asked.

Max nodded, rolling her eyes while she ordered the pizza.

Fang absentmindedly flipped through it. It had a bunch of diagrams with scientific lingo he didn't know.

"I'll take...um, three cheese and three pepperoni for, say, seven-thirty-ish?" she said. "Thanks."

Once she hung up, she grabbed the book from Fang and chucked it into the trash. The two of them watched as it fell to the bottom of the trash can with a flat "thud."

"We don't need reminders of _him _lying around."

"You really don't like him, do you?"

Max shook her head. "I don't consider him my father. When I was little, he took me to this awful place."

Fang tilted his head. "Where?"

"Some private lab in Burbank," she explained. "I called it the School, because I didn't like school. They locked me up in a tiny room and kept me there for months, poking and prodding me."

"Why?" Fang demanded.

"I don't have a fucking clue." Tears began to fill her eyes. "I tried to tell my teacher. I was too young to understand. But Jeb had already told her I had gone to stay with my mom, and that I had a 'wild imagination.' I don't even know who my mother is!"

"I'm...sorry," Fang said.

"It's okay. He's gotten better. I still have to go back to the School for tests from time to time, but I don't have to live there anymore."

"You should really tell the cops," Fang insisted.

"But-no." She shook her head. "I can't."

"Well, don't worry. We're changing the game tonight." Fang patted her on the shoulder. "After tonight, everything's going to be different."

"I'm excited and all...but how will one party fix things?"

"It just will." Fang smiled. He looked at the clock. "It's almost seven. People should be coming soon."

"Who'd you invite?"

"That girl Nudge from Civics class, Iggy from gym, and Angel and Gazzy from algebra. They're all bringing a couple people. Oh, and Lissa texted me. She's bringing her boyfriend, Dylan."

_Boyfriend. _Max exhaled in relief. _Paws off Fang, bitch!_

"So it should be fun."

Seven passed.

So did seven-fifteen. Max was getting ready to call the damn thing off at seven-twenty, when, almost instantly, three cars pulled up to Max's house.

The doorbell rang, and in walked Lissa and Dylan, along with some of Dylan's football player friends.

"Fuck yeah! The party's arrived!" Dylan cheered, throwing his hands up.

Max rushed over to turn on the music, and the stereo began blaring a Kid Cudi song:

_I'm on the pursuit of happiness and I know_

_Everything is shining, always gonna be gold, hey_

_I'll be fine once I get it_

_I'll be goooood..._

Their pizza arrived.

"Aaaaay!" Dylan greeted the delivery boy, flinging open the door. "We got food? Awesome. Hey, what's your name?"

"Sam," the poor pizza boy said. He was just trying to make a living.

Dylan handed him a hundred dollar bill and said, "Come on in!"

"Well..."

"Come on, bro. Don't be a wimp."

"Fine." Sam reluctantly entered the growing party.

Dylan threw an arm around Max. "Here's the party queen," he introduced her. "We're going HAM 'till the break of dawn, yo!"


	3. The Beginning

**7:45 PM**

By the time the clock struck seven forty-five, Max's kitchen was filling up with people. In addition to Dylan and the varsity football team, there was Fang and his friends, Angel, Iggy, Nudge, and Gazzy.

_Twenty three people, _Max thought anxiously. That was three people over her limit.

Cheers at the door startled her once again.

"Guys! The girls are here!" Dylan shouted. Then, he turned to Max and winked. "Hope you don't mind. I invited the cheer team too."

"Um..." Max started, looking around the house. "Okay. But that's it."

"You got it...um, what's your name again?"

Max rolled her eyes. The nerve of some people! Inviting people to a party when you didn't even know the host? What a bitch move.

"Max. Max Batchelder," she said.

"Cool story, bro," he said, already walking away from her.

Fang, across the room, was flipping through her iPod.

"You've got good taste in music," he said to Max. "You literally have everything."

"Thanks," Max said. "What should we play next?"

"How about a little J-Kwon?" Fang laughed. He hated rap music, but the song fit the occasion.

_One, here comes the two to the three to the four _

_Everybody drunk out on the dance floor_

_Babygirl ass jiggle like she want more_

_Like she a groupie and I aint even on tour_

"Errrrbody in the club getting tipsy!" a random cheerleader shouted. Fang and Max looked at each other and laughed. Clearly she had gotten a little tipsy herself before arriving.

"Let's dance," she said to Fang.

"I'm not much of a dancer."

"Neither am I," Max laughed. "Come on."

"Okay," Fang agreed.

_Errrrbody in the club gettin' tipsy..._

**8:30 PM**

"Max!" Dylan shouted. "MAX!"

Max had been dancing with Fang (who, contrary to his protests, was a pretty solid dancer) when she heard Dylan shouting her name.

"What's up?" she asked, walking over.

"We're outta Mountain Dew," he said.

Max rolled her eyes. "Drink something else. I'm not a human vending machine." _Partially human, at least. _

"We're also outta Coke. And Sprite."

Max sighed. She hadn't expected this to happen...this was supposed to be a _small _get-together!

"I'll go get more." She walked back over to Fang. "Fang, can you watch everyone when I go get more soda?" He nodded.

Max grabbed her purse and phone and walked out of the house. She would only be gone for a few minutes. What could happen in a few minutes?

Strolling down the street, Max admired the beautiful California weather. Pasadena, the LA neighborhood she lived in, was one of the nicest, and, of course, LA always had near-perfect weather. She could see all the stars and feel a warm breeze.

Weather like this made her almost wish she was out flying by herself instead of hosting a wild party. Flying was one of her favorite things to do, and she did it as often as possible (i.e late at night when Jeb was asleep, and in those precious three hours between when she got home from school and when Jeb got home from work). It was one of the few things that made her feel alive.

Rather than taking flight, she continued her walk to the local 7-11. She picked up cases of Mountain Dew, Coke, and Sprite. After these sodas were out, the kids were on their own.

_They want to come and party at my place, they can pay for their own damn sodas, _Max thought.

"That's a lot of soda," the woman at the register observed. "Are you going to be able to carry that all by yourself?"

Max smiled. "I'll be fine," she reassured her. Another effect of the bird DNA was, well, above-average strength. "I work out a lot." She grabbed the bag of sodas like it was a bag of feathers and exited the store.

What Max didn't notice was the cashier stealthily pick up a walkie-talkie. "Subject 991 is leaving the store. I repeat, 991 is leaving the store."

**8:45 PM**

Walking home, Max noticed a black car creeping along the street. She instantly became freaked out. Max had watched several episodes of _Law and Order: SVU, _and knew what could happen. People could disappear and end up used as a child prostitute, or locked in a trunk in some serial killer's basement. Still, she knew that a girl with 2% avian DNA, super strength, an extremely fast metabolism, and, of course, wings, wasn't exactly a prime target.

_What do you want? _she thought as the car continued to follow her. Then, she noticed the car stop.

Max took off, clutching the soda as she flew-almost literally-down the road. The man in the car was pretty far behind, but still, Max's heart pounded. Finally, she turned a corner and ducked behind a tree, and the sketchy man gave up.

"She's gone," he sighed. "We lost her."

After waiting a few minutes, she walked back to her house, still shaken up.

**9 PM**

"This is WAY more than twenty-three people!" Max shouted at Fang, trying to be heard over the pounding bass of whatever rap song was playing.

"I know!" Fang shouted back. "I guess Dylan invited more people! It's nuts!"

"We're gonna have to shut it down if it gets any more crowded," Max insisted.

He nodded in agreement. "Hey, are you okay? You look a little pale."

She was just about to explain the car situation when she saw Dylan walking over, slapping various girls' rear ends along the way.

"Whoaaa-hey!" Dylan slurred, rushing over to Max. "The party queen's back! And she's got the drinks!"

Max took a step back. Dylan smelled bad, like Axe and beer. Nasty.

"Is that beer?" Max asked, pointing to a case of cans on the table.

"You bet your fine ass it is!" Dylan shouted. "Got it from one of my boys, Chris."

"How come so many people came?" Max demanded.

"I put an ad on Craigslist," he explained.

Max froze. "_You put...an advertisement...for my party...on the Internet? _Are you _insane?_"

"Nah, bro! Just awesome." Dylan winked obnoxiously.

"We gotta get these people outside." Max shook her head. She had a pool, and a deck, surely getting some of these people out of here would be best. She ran over to the back door and opened it up.

"Alright, people! Who wants to go swimming?"


	4. Let's Take This Outside

**9:15 PM**

Max's prediction was correct. Getting some of the partygoers outside had eased things up a little bit inside the house. Max felt instantly better having more breathing room in her kitchen.

Once Dylan spotted Max's pool, he immediately stripped off his shirt. "Now that's what I'm talking about," he said as he ran over. "Cannonball!"

The partygoers' cheers grew and Max heard a loud splash as Dylan fell into the pool, beer still in hand.

She giggled and felt more relaxed. Nobody was getting hurt here. Everyone was just having fun and being, well, the kids that they were. As long as everyone was safe, no harm was done. Right? Right.

"What do you think of Dylan?" Fang asked, putting his soda down.

Max shrugged. "Eh. He's not my favorite at the moment."

"Why? Because of the overall asshole-ness, or the Craigslist thing?"

Damn. Max had momentarily forgotten about the Craigslist ad that was apparently circulating about her party. Well...she could always turn people away. This wasn't some sort of terrible teen movie. This was her house.

"Both. He's Dylan, what do you expect?"

Fang paused, nodding as he looked around. "You think he's cute?"

Max shook her head. "I'm not attracted to the whole 'bro' thing. Not gonna lie."

"I think it's dumb," Fang said. "I think _he's _kinda dumb, too."

Max laughed. "Agreed."

"You know, you don't have to stay here," Fang whispered. "You could get out. Find your mom."

"What difference does it make? I'm turning eighteen soon anyway."

He leaned closer to her. "You don't deserve to be treated like you are. You're a great person. You should have more moments like tonight."

"Maybe I do. Maybe I did something to deserve this." She shrugged and looked down.

"Look," Fang said seriously. "Nobody, and I mean nobody, deserves to be treated like a lab rat. Not even Dylan and his creepy football friends."

"I _know,_" Max insisted. "Isn't that why I'm having this party?"

Fang was about to say something, when Max's phone rang.

DAD flashed on the screen.

She held up a finger. "Hey," she said.

"Hello, Max," Jeb said into the phone. "Just thought I'd call, make sure you were set for the night."

Max contained a laugh. "Yup. All good."

"How is everything over there? Good weather?"

"Yeah," she said.

"Remember, no flying," Jeb warned her. "The last thing I need is trouble with the police. You know how nosy the neighbors are."

"No flying," Max repeated.

"It sounds loud. You're not _out, _are you?"

"I'm watching TV."

"What show?" Jeb asked suspiciously.

Max could hear shouts of "Dive in already!" and "Where's my beer?" from the backyard.

"_Jersey Shore,_" Max lied.

"Well, I hope you're not getting any ideas." Jeb chuckled.

Again, Max had to stop herself from bursting out laughing. _Too fucking late, Daddy Dearest! _

"Nope! In fact, I-I think I'll read my book for school instead. This show's terrible."

"Good girl," Jeb said. "Alright. Have a nice night."

He hung up, and Max looked at Fang and began to laugh hysterically.

"_Jersey Shore._ Good save," Fang complimented.

"Right?" Max wiped a tear from her eye. "I can't believe how dense he is. He must really be naive."

From the backyard, Max heard someone yell, "Awww! Fuck yeah!"

She walked outside to see what all the commotion was about.

Dylan was holding some sort of sculpture.

"Check it out," he said. It was a lawn gnome. He opened up a secret compartment and took out a bag of something green, along with a package of rolling papers.

_Weed, _Max thought, remembering the pictures from health class.

"Um, guys-"

"Let's smoke some," Dylan said. His friends cheered.

"Is that a good idea?" Max asked. "What if-"

"C'mon. It's a beautiful night," Dylan said. "Nothing's gonna happen, Maxie. Just chill."

Max's anger flared. "Call me Maxie again and see what happens, bitch."

Dylan and his friends laughed. "You _reaaaally _need to calm down here. It's a party!"

Max looked at Fang for support.

"Maybe you guys should calm down a little bit," Fang suggested. "Do you really need to smoke to have a good time?"

"I'll do what I want, emo boy," Dylan snapped. "Fuck off, man."

Max had the sudden urge to laugh. "Who needs to calm down now?"

It was too late, though. The weed was already being passed around, along with cans of beer. Just what Max needed, a bunch of high, drunk, football-playing assholes.

She sighed. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be. Maybe she should chill out a bit and just enjoy the party.

After all, it was a Friday night, and what was the worst that could happen?

**9:45 PM**

"Is the house in range?" the person on the other end of the phone asked Roland ter Borscht.

"Yes, ma'am," Roland said in a heavy German accent. He was a German scientist who worked for the School with Jeb. The School had been trying to get Max back for months now, but Jeb hadn't agreed to give her up other than letting them use her for a day or two at a time. Well, fuck that! She was the first successful avian-human hybrid, at least from any university in California. The Director of the program, Marian Janssen, had requested she be taken back there.

"Go get her," the Director ordered him.

Roland peered through a pair of binoculars.

"It 'zeems, 'dat 'dere is _people _there," he observed. "And _music." _

"What?" she snapped. "You know she's not supposed to have people over."

"Think back. Did you and I not have our parties in our time?" he sighed. "Rules never stopped us. 'Vhat makes you think it's stopping her? Any'vay, I can't do anything 'vith everyone around."

"We should probably wait for Jeb's approval before we take her, anyway. She's his experiment-I mean, his daughter."

Roland rolled his eyes. He was an impatient man. "Fine. 'Ve'll 'vait."


	5. The Kidnapping

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated this story in a while, I've been focusing on A Farewell to Innocence and its sequel, New York, I Love You. By the way, if you like political/crime dramas about racism and economic class struggles and detectives who call the Whitecoats "fuckin' pieces a' shit," go read that series (; AAANYWAY, thanks to the encouragement of my homegirl TheCatWithTheHat, I have decided to revive this story! Hope you're in the mood for PARTY TIME! **

**Fly on...(: **

* * *

><p><strong>10:15 P<strong>**M**

Fang spotted Max from across the room, sipping a Coke.

"Max!" he shouted, running over to her. "How's it going?"

She shrugged, smiling. "Pretty fun."

"Wanna go for a swim?"

Max shook her head. "Can't. Wings, remember?"

"Riiight." Fang looked around at Max's backyard, and then further out to the street. He spied a black car sitting right outside of the driveway.

"Who's that?" Fang asked, pointing to the car.

"Shit," Max swore. "They were following me earlier."

"We should call the police," Fang said.

"We've got kids smoking weed and drinking beer," Max reminded him. "If we call the police, we'll get in trouble too."

"Well, I'll at least try and get their license plate number," Fang insisted.

"I'll go with you."

"Don't," Fang said. "Please. I don't want you to get hurt."

Max reluctantly sighed. "Alright. If you say so. But if anything creepy happens, shout 'Pickles.'"

Fang laughed. "Pickles it is."

"Be careful," she warned him, before reaching for her iPod and playing Pitbull's song "International Love."

**10:25 P****M**

Fang walked over to the car, whose driver rolled the window down.

"Can I help you?" Fang asked, getting a chill. The whole situation was a little creepy, if you asked him. He made a mental note of the license plate number: 001-8925.

The driver nodded, a little too slowly. Fang instinctively backed away, in case he had to make a quick escape.

"Where's Max?" he asked in a German accent.

"Not interested," he snapped.

He smiled, opening the car door. He held his hand out, like it was a friendly business introduction. "Dr. ter Borcht. I work with Max's father. 'Derefore, it is _extremely _important 'dat I talk to her."

Fang ignored the proposal for a handshake. It hit him: this creep was probably one of the losers from that School place. He was definitely nervous, but he wasn't about to let Max talk to this asshole.

"Look, buddy," he said, channeling his inner cop-slash-club bouncer. "The way I see it, you've got two choices. Turn around, get back into that car of yours, and go home and we can pretend this never happened. Or, you can continue to stalk my friends and I, I'll call the police, and you can enjoy being someone's bitch in jail." He held his phone up, as if threatening to call the cops that very second.

Dr. ter Borcht swiftly knocked the phone from his hands.

Fang prepared to make a run for it, when he felt a pinch in his arm.

"Help!" he shouted as his world went black.

Max could faintly hear someone shouting over the music. _Fang! _Was he alright? Max ran out to the front, only to see him getting shoved into the car. The car started and began to drive away.

"Fang!" she yelled, chasing after the car.

"What's wrong, Maxie?" Dylan asked, leering at her with drunken eyes.

Max looked around, too anxious to reply. Her best friend had just been kidnapped!

"Lover boy ditch you?" he asked again.

"No!" Max yelled, practically throwing him off of her. "Didn't you see? Someone kidnapped him!"

"Some hot-ass bitch, no doubt." He winked. "Don't worry, there are other fish in the sea." He leaned closer to her. "Like, for example, me."

Dylan reached around her waist, groping her while he leaned in for a kiss.

"What...stop!" Max exclaimed. "We have to call the police."

"Dylan!" a female voice exclaimed. "How could you?"

"Kristine!" Dylan shouted, pushing Max away. "It's not my fault! She came on to me!"

"What the fuck?" Max snapped. "Your boyfriend here practically raped me."

"You whore," Kristine spat, shoving Max hard into the wall. For a skinny little nothing, Kristine sure had a lot of upper body strength.

"Why don't you both leave?" Max suggested harshly.

"We're outta here. Right, Kris?" Dylan said, glaring at Max.

Kristine nodded. "Go fuck someone else's boyfriend," were her lovely parting words.

After they walked away, Max pulled out her phone and dialed 911.

There was a strange beeping noise, then her phone shut off. She tried to dial the number again, but the phone wouldn't turn on.

"Fuck," she swore.

Hearing the home phone ring, she went back inside and quickly grabbed it.

"Hello?" she asked, eager to hang up and call the police.

"Max. Good to hear from you," said Jeb in a cool tone.

"Hey, Dad," she said, nervously.

"How are you doing? Having a good night?"

"Oh, yeah. Loving that late-night television," she joked.

"Really? One of my colleagues just informed me that you were having a...get-together. I thought I told you you couldn't have anyone over," he said, just as calmly.

Her mouth went dry. "I-I-"

"You don't want anyone to find out, do you?"

She thought of Fang once again. "Okay. I have some people over. I'm sorry. I'll explain later. But I really have to go. Something bad happened, and my phone's not working, but I need to call the police-"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Why the hell not?" she snapped.

"I've been talking to the Director, as well as some other people in my department. We think that, because of recent developments, it's best if you stayed at the School for a little while," he said, almost mockingly.

"No way-"

"Now, I was reluctant to agree at first, but it seems like you being there's a good way to make sure none of this gets out."

"I'm not going," Max insisted. "I'll call the cops. For real."

"Well, fine, but we've already got your friend, who I'm sure you'd hate to see anything happen to. It seems you're being pretty uncooperative," Jeb continued. "Look, you know how annoyed they can get. Either go with them, or they'll find you themselves."

Max started shaking. But she wasn't about to give in. Not anymore. She was going to finish her senior year, and then move out without an incident. No more bullshit.

"Well, you can tell your _friends_ to kiss my-"

Jeb sighed. "Too bad, then," he said. "That's too bad."


	6. Everyone's More Illegal in White

**10:45 PM**

Fang woke up as he was being dragged across a hard floor.

"Don't drag him! Are you nuts?" a woman hissed.

"Help me out!" the German man from earlier snapped.

"Hey. HEY," Fang said, twisting out of the man's grasp. They were in a hospital or lab of some sort. "You guys have some serious explaining to do."

The woman, a tall, thin, brunette wearing a purple dress, ballet flats, and a lab coat, smiled coldly. She held her hand out. What was up with these evil scientist types and handshakes?

"Dr. Janssen, the Director. Nice to have you here," she introduced herself.

Fang grabbed her hand and shook it as hard as possible.

"Ooh!" she squealed, pulling away. "Someone's got spunk."

"I'd like to know why you fucking knocked me out and dragged me to this place."

She paused. "How much do you know about Maxine Batchelder?"

"More than enough to send you fuckers to LA County Correctional Facility," Fang snapped, looking around the lab. It was certainly cleaner and had more amenities than jail, but prisons came in all shapes and sizes.

"Yikes," the woman said. "Well, I hope that none of us ever have to go there. Shall we sit down?"

"No. We shall not sit down," Fang said. "What you _shall _do is let me go."

"Aww. You just got here!" The Director pouted, faking disappointment. "I'm sorry, but you can't leave just yet. Please, take a seat." She led the two of them to an empty conference room.

"Max told me all about you," Fang continued. "You do realize you're breaking the law in so many ways, right? Kidnapping, illegal experiments, false imprisonment-"

"See, there's the issue with the public knowing things. That's why we have to keep it a secret. People just don't understand. Because, you know, this isn't some horrible place. I happen to think it's very nice."

"I doubt that," Fang said. "Considering my experiences with you guys have been some dude kidnapping me and dragging me across the floor, forgive me if I have a different impression."

"We wouldn't have had to do that if you hadn't threatened us," the Director defended herself. "You see, even I don't like having to take such measures. But they're sometimes necessary. Our primary goal here is to keep the girl safe." The girl...meaning Max.

"Because it's totally safe to lock someone up and experiment on them. Cool," Fang said sarcastically.

She smiled. "Again, you wouldn't understand. The work we do here is very high-level. And we do keep her safe. For someone like her, here's the best place for her."

"No. It's the best place for _you. _So you can do what you want."

"That's not a nice way to put it," the Director said. "It's a win-win situation. We advance society, and if she cooperates, she gets some privileges as well. Assuming, of course, she doesn't just go all out and throw a crazy party."

"You're keeping her from having a normal life!"

"Well, something's gotta give, isn't that how it always goes?"

Fang felt a rush of anger. He raised his hand and slapped her across the face.

The Director quickly pressed a button on her desk. "Didn't you father ever tell you how to treat women?" she snapped, readjusting her earring.

A new man in a lab coat walked in. This man had brown hair and was slimmer than ter Borcht.

"Dr. Wilkinson, take him to room 107," the Director ordered him.

Wilkinson looked Fang up and down, surprised not to see any wings.

"Who's he?"

"Just a friend." The Director smiled. "I'll see you later. Hopefully you'll be in a better mood."

Fang struggled with the man as he was dragged down the hallway.

"What's your problem?" Fang snapped. "Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"I"ll have to sedate you if you don't settle down," Wilkinson reminded him. He opened a door, revealing a small bedroom.

Fang looked around. It looked like a hospital room, with a small bathroom attached. The only furniture was a bed, a dresser, and a desk.

"There's the intercom," Wilkinson said, pointing to a buzzer on the wall. "If you need anything, press that button. Someone'll be in at some point to see how you're doing...well, you know the drill." He assumed Fang, like Max, was a regular visitor of the School.

_No! _Fang thought. _I don't belong here. Nobody does._

He gave Fang a final nod before closing the door, locking it behind him.

Fang looked around. There was a tiny window above the bed, but it was too small for Fang to fit through. Same for the air vent. Fang had never gotten his phone back, and there were no phones in the room. Fang knew that keeping Max there wasn't to keep her safe, it was to keep the scientists who worked there from getting caught.

He sat down on the bed. The only good thing about being trapped there was he had a lot of time to figure out how to get the fuck out of there.

**11 PM**

In the School's parking lot, a group of kids in a SUV were driving around, looking for an exit.

"You took a wrong turn, man," Iggy, one of the kids, said to Nudge, who was driving.

"What?" Nudge shouted over the radio. They were blasting Jessie J's song "Domino." _  
><em>

_Rock my world until the sunlight_

_Make this dream the best I've ever known_

_Dirty dancing in the moonlight_

_Take me down like I'm a domino..._

"You took a wrong turn!" Iggy yelled.

Nudge looked up. They were in the parking lot of some company.

"Whoops," she said. "Well, I'll just turn around, and-"

The car stuttered before stopping. The four of them-Nudge, Iggy, and two kids named Gazzy and Angel, sat for a second. The only sound that could be heard was Jessie J's loud singing.

"I guess we're outta gas," Nudge said, looking at the gauges.

"Nice going," Angel said, clapping slowly.

Nudge sighed, looking at the large building. It kind of creeped her out, but what were her options?

"I'll go ask for help. Who's coming with me?"

"You're not going alone," Angel insisted, opening her car door.

"I'll come, too," Iggy said.

"I'll watch the car," Gazzy volunteered. He felt a little sketchy, too.

"Alright. If we're not back in ten minutes, call the cops," Nudge joked.

"Will do."

Gazzy knew she was kidding, but had a feeling he would be seeing the Los Angeles Police Department at least once over the course of the night.

Call him crazy.


	7. Rescue Mission

**11:45 PM**

Jeb's words echoed in Max's head as she ran around the house. _Too bad. That's too bad. _

She felt terrible. If only...if only Fang was still there! Now Jeb's stupid cronies had a hold of him. On one hand, if Max called the cops, he would be saved, but if she called the cops, Jeb would find out, and who knew what would happen then?

_I shouldn't have had this party, _she thought. _I knew it would fuck everything up. _

There was only one thing she could do: go over to the School and save him herself. It would be risky, but better than letting him get hurt.

"Don't worry, Fang," she whispered. "I'm coming." She unplugged her now-charged phone, shoving both the phone and the charger into her pockets.

"Hey there!" a random guy shouted, grabbing Max. "How's it going, Party Queen?"

"Um-"

"You look like you're going somewhere." The guy, a frat-looking dude in a polo shirt carrying a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, took a puff off a cigarette before dropping it into the sink.

"Can you not do that?" Max asked. Although, Jeb already knew about the party. She might as well make things worse for him to clean up. "And I was just going out...to get some more food."

"Right on!" the guy shouted. "I'll hold down the fort for you, sweet cheeks."

_Sweet cheeks? _If Max hadn't been in the middle of a crisis, she would've been disgusted.

She would've also thought about the consequences of leaving her house unaccompanied. But she had to save her friend. So she walked down the street, until, safely out of anyone's field of vision, she unfurled her wings and leaped into the night sky.

Feeling the wind in her hair, she flew around, above the streets of Los Angeles, until finally spotting a large concrete building surrounded by palm trees.

_Here we go, _she thought. _Good luck to me, I'll need it. _

Max eyed the ceiling and prepared to land.

**Midnight**

Fang had been at the School for a little over an hour, and still couldn't figure out a way out of there. Nobody had been back to his room in the hour and a half he had been there, and it was both scary and boring. Boring, because he was trapped in a tiny room with nothing to do, and scary because he had no idea what they were going to do to him. Max had told him about all the tests they did. Giving her drugs, making her run through endless mazes, and taking blood (and in her case, feather) samples did not sound like his idea of a good time. His only hope was that Max had noticed and called the police. Hopefully, he'd be saved soon.

_If not, well, I'll be feeling fly like a G6_, he said, laughing ironically at his joke. He was wondering what else they might do when he heard the door to the room open. It was Dr. Wilkinson, the man from earlier.

"Follow me," he ordered Fang.

"Where?"

"The Director wants to see you again. Now come with me."

Fang sat up and walked out the door, making a mental note of the School's geography. A door here, another door there, an intimidating set of double doors marked LAB A, another door, but no signs indicating a way out.

_What if there's a fire? _he wondered. Surely, there had to be some way out of there.

Wilkinson led him into a hallway and through another set of double doors labeled PRIVATE OFFICES. He knocked on the door, then waited.

Fang vaguely wondered if he could try and make a run for it. From where he stood, he could see the front door. He was so close...so close to freedom!

"She doesn't like meeting with people. I'm surprised she wanted to meet with _you_," Wilkinson snapped, clearly pissy to be working there on a Friday night. He looked at Fang like he was something less than human, which he probably assumed Fang was.

"Hello," the Director greeted them, opening the door of her office. "Thank you for coming."

"I didn't have much of a choice," Fang grumbled.

She ignored him, waving Wilkinson away and closing the door. She sat back down.

"How are you doing? Feeling any less...hostile?"

_Totally, bro, _Fang thought sarcastically. _I've just been kidnapped and spent the last hour locked in a tiny room. That's just, like, so chill. _

The Director sighed. "If you're not going to talk to me, I can't help you."

"Help me? You want to help me?" Fang snapped. "Holding me hostage isn't helping anyone, especially not me."

She frowned. "Well, like I said earlier, it's a shame that it had to come down to this. If your friend Max had only worked with us instead of against us, we wouldn't be in this position."

"Look. I'm sorry, but I don't think it's fair for you to put _me _in this situation. I have nothing to do with any of this."

"You were at that party, too. The two of you looked pretty close." She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "And you already admitted to knowing about her...secret."

"It won't be a secret for much longer," Fang insisted. "Once the cops show-"

"Who says the cops are showing up? I talked to Jeb, her father. He's going to make sure this doesn't get out. And Max is staying here, no matter what."

Fang saw a figure move by the window. It was a girl. A girl who suspiciously resembled Max.

_Max? _he mouthed at the figure.

She stopped, her eyes widening. _Fang? _she mouthed back. She also mouthed something that looked like _Hang on. _

"Are you listening to me?" the Director snapped. "I don't have the time to deal with nonsense around here. We need Max to stay here, and...what are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Fang said quickly. But it was too late; the Director turned around, her eyes meeting Max's.

She smiled evilly. "Well, well. Looks like she decided to join us," the Director said. She picked up the phone on her desk.

"Hello, Jeb?" she said. "Glad to hear you're on your way back here. That daughter of yours made the right choice after all. The party? You'll have to ask her yourself. I'm sure she'll be _very _pleased to see you."

Fang watched in horror as a group of people in white coats dragged her back towards the main entrance.

"She should've just come in the front door," the Director said casually. "It's a lot easier."


	8. Trapped

"You don't have to keep holding my arm. I don't think I'm going anywhere," Max snapped at the scientist who was holding onto her. He reluctantly let go, not sure if she was going to beat everyone up, try to run, or what.

The Director, a woman Max was not happy to be acquainted with, briskly walked towards her, smirking. "Max! Welcome back. It's just been too long, hasn't it?"

"Not long enough," Max snapped back.

She put her hands on her hips. "That's not a friendly way to treat the person who practically raised you all these years," she said. "I expect more from you than that."

"Where's Fang?" she demanded.

"Fang...Fang...that's an unusual name, isn't it? I take it that's your friend."

"Yeah. The guy you kidnapped," Max said. "Where is he?"

"I think someone took him back to his room," the Director explained. "I hope you weren't expecting a big reunion."

"You're not even going to let me see him?"

"Not right now, I'm afraid. It seems you have a bit of explaining to do. First of all, you can start by telling me why you chose to have a party when we made it clear nobody was to know about you."

"Nobody _was _going to know," Max reminded her. "I was just having some fun. That's not a crime, is it?" _  
><em>

"Rules are rules."

"You're not my mother," Max snapped. "Anyway, I'm turning eighteen soon. You don't get to decide what I do."

The Director was quiet for a moment. She hadn't been expecting Max to say something like that. But it _was _true, as much as she liked to pretend otherwise. The Director had to find a way to keep her there, for good.

"Well, I _am _glad you decided to come here on a little...recon mission or whatever you call it. We feel you could be very useful to us."

"Ain't that flattering," Max said sarcastically. "Great. I finally have somewhat of a life, and you have to take that away."

"It's for your own good," she insisted. "Believe me, your little boyfriend Fang might be understanding, but most of the people out there wouldn't be. Think about the government...the police...the news media, how'd they react if they found out! You'd be much better off staying here."

"I doubt it."

She smiled. "Being what you call 'normal' is overrated, Max. Oh, there's your father."

Max felt her blood run cold as she saw her father Jeb approaching out of the corner of her eye. He was wearing a black business suit.

"Max," he said coldly. "I have to say I'm disappointed. You made me cut my business trip short."

Max kept her mouth shut.

He sighed. "But then again, I'm glad you remembered what I told you. You'll thank me for this someday."

"Again, I highly doubt it. And if you lay a finger on Fang, I'll kick all of your asses," she blurted.

"Speaking of Fang," the Director piped in. "We _do _need to discuss him. We don't want to hurt him, we really don't. And I understand you two are very close."

Max rolled her eyes.

"Don't be obnoxious," Jeb warned her. "Cooperating with us is the easiest way to go."

"Fine. We've been friends a while," she admitted.

"As I was saying, I don't think it would be right to use your friend in our work. But we have to do something. We have stuff to get done."

"What do you mean?" Max asked.

"I'll put it simply, Max," Jeb said. "Either he stays here, or you stay here."

Max thought of Fang going through what she had gone through. Constantly being tested. The constant pain. Not knowing what to expect. Being alone, with nobody-not even one's own family-for support. As much as she hated the School, she hated the idea of Fang being there even more. And Max was sure she'd find a way out. She had to. She was not going to turn eighteen in that place.

"I'll stay," Max reluctantly said. "Happy? You win."

The Director grinned. "Good choice, sweetheart."

Max got a chill. She hoped she was making the right choice.

"We'll have to talk to Fang," the Director said to Jeb. He nodded in agreement.

"He needs to understand what happened tonight stays between us. He can't tell anyone. Especially not the cops."

"Especially not," the Director agreed. "Okay. We'll deal with him. Why don't you let me show Max her room?" She grabbed Max by the elbow, leading her down a hallway. She opened a door to a room which struck Max as eerily familiar.

"You stayed in this room when you were six," she explained.

Max remembered. She remembered everything. Every injection, every maze...

"Just like old times, huh?" The Director giggled, confirming Max's belief that she was just as insane as earlier.

Max rolled her eyes. "You'd better let Fang go. If anything happens to him..."

"You know me, sweetheart. I always keep my promises," she said. "Anyway, I expect you to cooperate fully with us. I know you've got a rebellious streak. We might have to take...extra precautions if you don't behave yourself."

"You don't have to worry about me," Max said, still not looking her in the eye.

She nodded. "Good. Dr. Wilkinson and Dr. Newman will be running tests on you first thing tomorrow morning. Sleep well. Oh, and Max?"

"Yeah?" Max asked, tempted to punch her in the face.

She smiled once again. "Welcome back."

It was only after the Director had shut and locked Max's room (more like a cell) door, when Max realized two things.

1) She still had her cell phone and charger, a link to the outside world...and Fang.

and

2) There was still a raging party going on at her house.


	9. 20th Precinct and the School, Day 1

**1:30 AM**

"So you're telling me," Los Angeles Police Department Officer Jeff Daniels said, sipping his coffee, "you walked up to the front door of this place to ask for help, and saw some girl with..._wings_...getting dragged around by doctors?"

Nudge nodded. "That's what I saw, I swear!"

Daniels's face turned serious. "You been drinking or smoking tonight?"

"No!" Angel, Nudge's friend, insisted. "I saw it too! We got out of there as fast as we could."

"What company was it?"

Nudge shrugged. "Something Biomedical. It was dark, we couldn't tell."

"Look, kids," Daniels said. "We take the law very seriously at the 20th Precinct of Los Angeles. We don't have time for silly games. If you've got information on a _real _crime-"

"This is a real crime!" Nudge insisted. "Wings? This is like some crazy movie!"

"I think you guys have been watching too many crazy movies yourselves," Daniels said. "It's late. You kids shouldn't be out screwing around this late. I'll let you off with a warning this time. Go home, go to sleep, and quit trying to mess with the cops, a'ight?"

"Warning for what?" Nudge shrieked. "We didn't do anything! All we did was see it happen!"

"I'm serious!" Daniels snapped. "With all the tips we get, I can't deal with bullshit."

Nudge sighed. Maybe she had imagined it after all. But that building had given her the creeps. Good thing nobody answered the door...

"Alright, guys," she said, turning to her friends. "Let's just let it go for now."

They exited the police station, a nagging feeling still in their stomachs.

The annoying teenagers gone, Daniels threw out his coffee and prepared to go home for the night. His partner, Pete Murphy, was out shutting down some party in Pasadena that had gotten out of control. Apparently, the hostess's father had shown up, though the hostess herself was nowhere to be found now. She was probably sleeping over at some guy's house or passed out drunk in the bushes.

Oh, the adventures of a cop in the LAPD.

**5:30 AM**

Max awoke with a start. She had been sleeping on a lumpy bed covered by a thin blanket. The room she was in smelled like disinfectant.

It was then that she remembered the events of the previous night. Had that all happened in one night? She had hosted a party, ditched said party to save her best friend, gotten captured herself, agreed to stay to let her friend go, and now, there she was. The School, her (ha!) home away from home.

She also remembered that she had her cell phone and phone charger stashed under the bed's mattress. She reached down and pulled it out, quickly dialing Fang's number.

"Fang?" she quietly asked.

"Max? Is that you?" Fang asked. "Holy shit. I've been up all night worrying about you. Are you safe? Jeb told me-"

"Yes, I'm safe. For now," Max said.

"How'd you get a hold of me?"

"Snuck my phone in," she said.

"Watch out, we got a badass over here," Fang joked.

Max laughed. "Anyway, Jeb told you about the deal?"

"Yeah. They would either let you or me go. Jesus Christ, what the hell were you thinking?" he asked seriously.

"I'm used to it here," Max insisted. "I'm not going to let someone else go through it. Besides, I'll find my way out of here."

"I wish I could call the cops or something. But they'd told me they'd hurt my family and I if I did," he said.

"God," Max said. "I didn't realize the School was secretly the Mafia."

"Right?" Fang said. "I'm seriously so worried. Just...just promise me you'll get out, okay?"

"I will," Max promised. "There's no way I'm sticking around that long. Talk to you later."

"Okay," he sighed. "Good luck."

Max hung up, shut her phone off, and stuffed it back under her mattress. There was no point going back to sleep-she had been promised she'd be tested on first thing in the morning. Talk about a rude awakening. She sighed, standing up and stretching. She took a shower, grateful to at least get clean and wash all the grime of yesterday off of her. Especially Dylan-cooties.

Wrapping herself in a towel, Max wondered what Dylan was up to. She felt jealous of him-imagine! He, though a total sketch, was free, and she was stuck here.

Max looked around the room for some clean clothes, not eager to put on her jeans and T-shirt from the night before. Unfortunately, the only thing she found was a hospital gown. She slipped it on, hoping she could at the very least convince Jeb to bring her some normal clothes to wear from home.

The sound of her door opening startled her.

"Good morning," a perky female voice called. She stepped into the room. "Max? Oh, wow! I haven't seen you since you were little!"

She was a petite blonde woman in a lab coat.

"Do I know you?" Max asked coolly.

"Dr. Newman. Cara Newman," she introduced herself happily. "My, my! You sure have grown! The last time I saw you was the last time you stayed here...you were six, I believe?"

Max nodded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And you're, what, seventeen now? I can't believe it!" Dr. Newman exclaimed.

"I am," she said.

"Why don't you come with me and we can chat some more?"

Max was instantly wary. She knew that whenever a Whitecoat-her name for the scientists there-was nice, it meant something bad was about to happen. And she remembered Dr. Newman's style-she had told her they were going to "have some fun" before pushing her into an icy cold pool and forcing her to swim laps, in her clothes, no less. No wonder Max hated swimming.

Dr. Newman led Max through some doors, into an examination room.

"I just want to measure your wings and ask you some questions, and then we can get started, alright?"

"Sure," Max said, halfheartedly unfolding her wings.

"So pretty! Wow!" she said, measuring them. "Perfect!"

"Uh, thanks."

"Amazing, isn't it? Seventeen years later, and it actually worked." She shook her head to express just how amazed she was.

"Yeah, and I lived to tell the tale."

Dr. Newman picked up a clipboard and began questioning her like it was a doctor's appointment. "Anyway, have you smoked or drank in the last week?" She winked. "You can be honest. I heard you had quite the night yesterday."

"No, I haven't," Max snapped.

"Any medical issues? Headaches, stomachaches?"

"Nope."

"Any drug allergies?"

Max smiled for the first time that day. "All of them," she lied.

Dr. Newman laughed. "You're so funny, Max. Such a comedian!" This angered Max. Of course, they didn't care if she actually _was _allergic to anything-they just wanted to see how she'd react, no matter what. _Welcome to the_ _School._

She set her clipboard down and picked up a syringe. "One quick shot, then you'll go with Dr. Wilkinson to do some physical and mental tests. Sound good?"

"Not really," Max said.

The scientist laughed again as she reached for Max's arm. "I wish I could be half as funny as you." She stuck the needle into her arm.

Max immediately felt wobbly all over, like her bones had turned to rubber.

"You might feel a little funny," Dr. Newman explained. "Don't worry, though. I'm sure you'll be fine."

Max tried to stand up, but fell to the floor instead. Dr. Newman helped her up. "Take it easy," she warned her.

_How can I? _she thought. She was supposed to undergo "physical and mental tests" after _this? _All she wanted to do was crawl into bed-even her lumpy bed at the School. Yep, that was all she wanted.

Despite all attempts not to feel bitter, she thought, _Nicholas Fang Ride, you fucking owe me one. _


	10. The School, Day 2

**1:10 PM**

It was easy to forget where she was, in the comfort of her own room. Jeb, feeling somewhat guilty for handing her over to the Whitecoats, had brought Max her clothes from home, as well as her blanket and sheets, her iPod and speakers, a couple of books, and some posters. It was almost like being home, or in a college dorm room, except for the fact that she was locked up at a secret medical lab in the worst section of Burbank, California.

The Director had been all too eager to let Max decorate her room, as long as she cooperated with the experiments. She thought it had been a "lovely" idea. As happy as Max was not to be surrounded by drab hospital furniture, she thought the whole thing was kind of ironic.

_You expect me to feel at home just because I have my own stuff? The only reason I'm here is so you don't hurt my best_ _friend_.

She heard a knock at the door, just as she finished hanging up a poster from one of her favorite movies, _Everything is Illuminated. _

"Nice place you've got here!" said Anne Walker, Jeb's partner in crime (literally). She looked around the room. "How have you been?"

Max shrugged. "Been better, honestly." She actually didn't mind Anne. She, though she played a major role in experimenting on Max, did her best to protect her from Jeb and the others at the School who only saw her as a guinea pig.

"Yeah. I _told_ Jeb to lay off. I even went against the Director when she started talking about taking you back here," she said. "I don't think this whole thing is your fault. You're a teenager. You should be able to have a little fun. But..."

"Here I am," Max said.

"Here you are," Anne agreed. "It's too bad, really. I know you don't like being here."

"No shit." Max snorted.

"We've gotten better, though," Anne insisted. "No more keeping babies in dog crates. Even we've learned from our mistakes."

"What?" Max demanded.

"Well...that was years ago," Anne said dismissively. "Anyway, I am glad to see you making the most of your situation. How much longer until your eighteenth birthday?"

"A little less than six months." Max felt a sudden feeling of desperation. _Six months? _How was she going to survive at the School for _six months? _She had to escape, like Fang said. Find her mother. Be free.

"See? That's not so bad," Anne insisted.

_Yes, it is. _"What are you doing here?" Max asked.

"You're scheduled for a procedure at two," she explained.

"What kind of procedure?"

"Just something routine," Anne said vaguely. "You can wait here or in the lounge down the hall."

"Ooh, a lounge. Fancy," Max said sarcastically. She was still wondering about the whole "procedure" thing. "I take it that wasn't the Director's idea."

"It was mine, actually," Anne said. "I figured we should provide a less...intimidating atmosphere."

"Totally. There's nothing less intimidating than cutting people open and injecting them with God knows what."

Anne smiled uncomfortably. "Well, it's up to you..."

She shrugged. "I'll go." After all, Max could find a potential escape route.

Anne led Max down the hall to a small room. The "lounge" held little except some beanbag chairs, a table with a stack of magazines, and a TV.

"Dr. Gilbert will be back for you around two," she said. "Take care."

Max tried opening the door after Anne left. But it too was locked.

Looking around, Max spied a young girl sitting on the floor in a hospital gown, reading _The Catcher in the Rye. _She looked to be about five or six. Max was surprised not to see any wings. They must have done something else to her.

_Damn, _Max thought. She was barely able to get through that book in tenth-grade AP English.

"Hey," Max said softly. She sat next to the girl.

She looked up with wide blue eyes, unsure of what to make of Max.

"I'm Max," Max introduced herself. "What's your name?"

She shook her head.

"You don't have one?"

The girl spun around her ID bracelet. "Five-three-oh-eight," she read, speaking for the first time.

Max frowned. "That's not a real name."

"That's what they call me." 5308 shrugged.

"How long have you been here?"

"I don't know," 5308 said. "Forever, I guess."

"Do you have parents?" Max asked, feeling sorry for the girl.

"Not really. The people here take care of me, but most of them aren't very nice," 5308 said. "They always tell me I'm super smart for my age. I'm going to learn algebra soon. They always say how special I am. It's kind of weird, though."

"There are lots of weird people here," Max agreed. "Do you ever leave?"

"Sometimes," 5308 said. "Dr. Stevens took me to the mall a few times. And I go to the beach in the summer. But that's not very much. I like going out a lot better than staying here. I get hurt here a lot. They poke me with a lot of needles."

"I'm sorry," Max said.

"Do you like traveling?" the girl asked. "I want to travel when I'm older. I want to go to the places in my books. New York and England and France and China," 5308 continued.

"Traveling's fun," Max said.

"Do you live here too?"

"Just for now," Max admitted. She wasn't sure why she was embarrassed to talk about her living situation-after all, 5308 was in the same situation. "But sometimes, I live in a real house."

"That's cool," she said, jealous. "I want a big house with lots of books."

"You'll get all that," Max assured her. "You'll go to those places, if you believe in yourself."

The door opened, and a male Whitecoat stepped in. "Max, come with me," he ordered her. Max followed him down the hall.

"As much as I'm sure Subject 5308 appreciates your company, I'd advise you against befriending her," Dr. Gilbert snapped.

"Why?"

"She's not like you. She doesn't know how to live in the outside world. We don't want to get her hopes up too much. All those things she talks about probably aren't going to happen."

_Of course. _Max should've known the lounge was monitored.

"She's only five or so," Max reminded him. "She can learn-"

"It's just not realistic," Dr. Gilbert insisted. "If anything, she'll probably end up working here once she's old enough."

_Great. So she'll think what people do to her is completely normal so she'll be fine with doing it to someone else, _Max thought angrily. She just wanted to take the little girl and run away somewhere.

"Anyway, her intelligence has been enhanced far beyond normal parameters. She's just too valuable to be released," Dr. Gilbert insisted. He opened another door, a scary-looking operating room.

"And by the way," he said, placing an IV drip into her arm. "So are you."

Max's last thoughts before blacking out were, _I WILL get out of here. _


	11. The School, Day 5: Morning

**10 AM**

For the past few days, Max's life had been a blur; being hooked up to monitors and IVs, wheeled in and out of different rooms, and breathing through a tube. On that day, a Wednesday, she finally woke up in her own bed, her head pounding.

She looked around the room like a newborn baby. Everything felt off. God, she hated the School and all of their tests.

Then she remembered: _Fang! _She hadn't talked to him in days. Max reached under her mattress and pulled out her cell phone.

_FIVE MISSED CALLS, _the display read. They were all from Fang. She quickly dialed his number.

"Max!" Fang exclaimed, picking up right away. "I was freaking out when I didn't hear from you. Are you alright?"

"I don't know," Max said.

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"They did something to me, and I have no idea what happened. I've been knocked out for like three days," Max explained.

"Oh my God." Fang sighed. "I can't believe what they're doing to you. I would've stayed instead of you-"

"Don't say that," Max insisted. "I'll be fine."

"If you say so," he said doubtfully. "By the way, Jeb's been telling everyone you're in rehab."

"Rehab?" Max had to laugh. "There's irony if there ever was any. I'll need rehab once I'm out of this hell-hole!"

"Everyone believes him, too. It's pathetic."

"I agree," Max said, rolling her eyes. "Well, once I'm out of here I'll give them all the middle finger."

"Good idea," Fang agreed.

"I have to go. They'll probably come and get me soon. I'll call you later, okay?" Max said.

"Okay. I-I...miss you, Max."

"Miss you too. It'll be alright." She smiled sadly as she hung up the phone and hid it. She did miss him. She forgot how lonely it got at times.

As predicted, a few minutes later, her door opened. It was the lovely Dr. Newman.

"Good morning, Max! Rise and shine!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Hope you're feeling better. You really scared us!"

"What happened?" Max asked, sitting up.

"We wanted to do a _little _exploratory surgery to see how your lungs were doing, and, well, Dr. Gilbert made a wrong incision. We got it under control, though, so you should be back to normal."

"As normal as I'll ever be," Max retorted.

"See? You're already joking again!" Dr. Newman said. "Alright, I just need to take a couple of blood samples in the lab, and then maybe you can watch a movie or something. What kind of movies do you like?"

"The good kind," Max said. She was too tired to say much else.

"Great! Okay! Just come with me, please."

Max was walking out the door behind Dr. Newman when she heard a young girl cry out.

"Stop! That hurt!" she shouted. Max turned around to see the girl she met the other day-the genius-slash-aspiring world traveler without a name.

"Be quiet," Dr. Wilkinson snapped, slapping her wrist.

"I said, no more needles! No more!" the girl insisted.

"Jesus Christ," he said. "Cara! Do you mind taking this one? I can't stand _it._" He shoved the girl forward.

Dr. Newman smiled. "I'd be happy to."

"First of all, _it _is a _she,_" Max snapped, forgetting about the state she was in.

Dr. Wilkinson looked taken aback, like he wasn't used to getting it handed to him. Well, Max wasn't the type of girl to let other people get hurt around her.

"And second of all, back the fuck off. She doesn't even have a name. Where the hell do you get off pushing little kids around?"

"You see?" Dr. Wilkinson said to Dr. Newman. "This is what happens when you let the subjects out. I tried to warn Jeb when she was born. I tried." He rolled his eyes.

Max lunged forward. "Say one more thing about me," she hissed. "Do it. I dare you. _Fucking do it again!_"

Dr. Newman's eyes widened. She grabbed her walkie-talkie and pressed a button. "Max, calm down-"

"You don't know anything about me or my life!" Max yelled. "So stop acting like you know everything. You have no idea the damage you people have done!"

Dr. Wilkinson looked off into the distance. "Thank God. The shitstorm's over."

Max looked around to see the Director walking down the hallway towards them. Whoops.

"What's the problem here?" she asked.

Dr. Wilkinson grabbed Max by the elbow. "This one was threatening me," he said.

"Oh, no," the Director said in mock surprise. "Max is just so sweet. I'm sure she'd _never _do anything like that. Right, darling?"

"Oh, I'm the threatening one?" Max snapped, ignoring the Director's syrupy sweet voice. "Do you know what he did to _her?_" She pointed at the frightened little girl.

"She almost hit me!" Dr. Wilkinson said.

"Well. We will have to deal with that, won't we?" the Director said. "I thought I told you not to interfere. Isn't that right? What happens with Subject 5308 isn't really of your concern."

"Like hell it isn't," Max snapped. "And she's not just 'Subject 5308.' Believe it or not, she's an actual human being, with thoughts and feelings, like you." Then she shook her head. "Oh, wait, I forgot. You don't feel anything."

Her eyes narrowed. "Like I just said, it's none of your concern." She faced the two scientists. "I'll take her back to her room."

The Director grabbed Max's arm and walked her down the hallway. "I _am_ sorry to do this, but I have to be on the safe side."

_Don't ask what's going to happen to me, _Max told herself. _Don't show any weakness. _

"You'll be doing the maze at noon. You remember that, don't you?" she asked, smiling sadistically.

Max fake-smiled, though the maze was the sole cause of many of her traumatic childhood memories. "Oh, boy. Fun, fun, fun."

"I'll be supervising you," she explained. "Have a nice morning. Oh, Max?"

"Yes?" Max asked.

"Next time, keep your comments to yourself. It's not doing any of us any good. And I _will _be telling your father."


	12. The School, Day 5: Afternoon

**12:45 PM**

Exhausted, Max collapsed at the end of the maze.

"Amazing," one scientist whispered to another. "Three minutes. That's a new record. Hey!" he shouted at Max. "Do you run track or something?" They all giggled, like it was a big inside joke.

"Varsity for three years," Max shot back, pulling herself up. It was a good thing the coach didn't know about her "abilities," or she'd be off that team in two seconds. Max had set the school record that previous spring.

"Wow!" one of them said condescendingly. "That's great. Good job." She waved the Director over from the side.

"What tests were run on her? Strength enhancement, or-"

"No," the Director said. "She's an avian-human hybrid. The only successful one. _With _strength enhancement." She smiled proudly.

"Oh my God," the scientist gasped. "That's incredible! Does she have wings?"

The Director nodded. "Max, show them your wings."

Max rolled her eyes and unfolded them to more _oohing _and _aahing. _It was more obnoxious than hearing that cheesy song, Call Me Maybe.

The female scientist reached forward and plucked a feather out from her right wing.

"Ow!" Max snapped.

"Sorry," she said, not sounding apologetic at all. "I'd like to examine her a little more. Is that okay?"

Max opened her mouth to say something, when the Director interrupted her.

"Absolutely," she said. "Whenever you like."

"Let's give her some time to rest first," someone piped in. It was Anne. She smiled at Max sympathetically.

"Well, she runs track, doesn't she?" the scientist asked. They laughed again, making Max even more annoyed.

"Give her a break," Anne insisted. "You can see her again tonight."

"Fine," she sighed, sounding disappointed. "Where's she staying? Room 13?"

"Room 13," Anne confirmed.

"Okay," she said, nodding. "I'll come and see her, then."

The Director glared at Anne. "Dr. Walker, I'm in charge of this program, not you," she reminded Anne.

Anne lowered her voice. "Max has lost five pounds in the past four days," she insisted. "I think we'd all agree that's not normal! She needs to rest. Just a little bit."

"Did I tell you what she did earlier? She started threatening Dr. Wilkinson."

Max, overhearing the conversation, stepped in. "I didn't _threaten _Dr. Wilkinson. I only said something because he was hurting that other girl!"

"What other girl?" Anne asked.

"Subject 5308," the Director explained. "And Max is exaggerating. Dr. Wilkinson only ran some routine tests, and 5308 happened to overreact. That's all that happened."

"Max has always been very protective," Anne explained. "It's her nature. And Dr. Wilkinson can be pretty harsh."

"Still, we have to stick to the regulations," the Director insisted. "In order to be successful, we can't allow-"

"I understand that," Anne said. "But we'll be more successful if Max has some time to recuperate."

"If you say so," the Director said suspiciously. "Alright. Take her back to her room."

Max limped down the hallway, into the main area, and through another hallway until she reached her room.

"Thanks for standing up for me," Max thanked Anne.

"No problem," Anne said. "As you know, you're like a daughter to me. Watching you grow up all these years made me realize you're a very special girl, Max. And not just because of the wings."

"Well, if it wasn't for my wings, I'd probably be out on the streets like a piece of trash."

"You're better than that, you know," Anne told her. "We're not supposed to encourage you all, but I really do think you're meant for something special. Something better than sitting in a lab being poked and, um, plucked all day."

"Thanks," Max said again. "That really means a lot to me."

She missed her mother more than ever. She had never known her, but had a feeling she was better than anyone that had "raised" her at the School. Even her own father.

"Feel better, okay?" Anne told Max. "I'll ask the Director if I can pick you up some real food to eat. Lose any more weight, and you'll look like a model for American Apparel."

"Eh, I think being a Victoria's Secret Angel is more my _repertoire,_" Max joked.

Anne laughed. "Good one," she said, closing the door. "Don't worry. It'll all be okay."

Max immediately went for the shower, turning the water as high as it went and scrubbing her body. She needed to wash the day-everything that had happened to her-off of her. Then, she changed into a pair of jean shorts and a blue blouse. It felt good to wear real clothes again. Feeling almost normal, she plugged in her iPod and picked up a _Time _magazine she had "borrowed" from the lounge.

_Why Parents Steal their Children, _the headline read. _Parental kidnapping is on the rise in USA, what can be done? _

Hmmm. Interesting. Max was about to read the article, when she got the sudden urge to call Fang. She didn't "love" him, at least she didn't think so. So why did she feel so close to him when she was actually far away?

Turning on her hidden phone, Max saw she had a text from him.

_Remember when you were talking about finding your mother? I think I might have an idea who she is. Sending you a link. _

Max tapped on the link Fang sent to her. In her phone's browser, it opened the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's website. On the screen, there was a picture of Max at age two, with a computer generated image of her at her current age.

_MAXINE ALICIA MARTINEZ: Missing since October 3, 1997_

_Case Type: Family Abduction_

_DOB: April 19, 1995_

_Sex: Female_

_Race: Caucasian_

_Hair Color: Brown_

_Eye Color: Hazel_

_Age Now: 17_

_ Missing From: New York, NY_

_Last Seen In: Los Angeles, CA_

_Other Information: Maxine was reported missing by her mother, Dr. Valencia Martinez, in 1997. Dr. Martinez reports that she may have been kidnapped by her father, Jeb Batchelder. Only one alleged sighting has been reported, in Los Angeles, California. _

_Holy shit,_ Max thought. This was her missing persons report. She was designated missing! She had a mother out there, not just some woman who donated her eggs for "science."

She quickly texted Fang back.

_I think we have a lead. Next step: me getting out of here and going to NYC._

He replied within a few seconds.

_I have some ideas. Call me tonight and we'll figure out a plan. We got this, Max. _

Then, before thinking too hard about it, Max texted him a heart emoticon.

She could do this. This was her shot at a normal life.

Max happily tucked the phone back under her mattress before doing a little dance around her room.

_Whitecoats, come at me! _she thought. She could handle whatever they did to her now. Because she'd soon be out of there.


	13. The School, Day 14

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm glad to see people are liking this story (: There are some twists and turns coming up, so keep reading. Oh and REVIEW! :D I love reviews. Review and the next chapter (in which Max escapes) will be up ASAP. Don't review, and, well, I might decide to do homework instead (; Now I think we know the better option! Haha! So tell me what you thing!**

**La-la-la-love you,**

**Jess (: **

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><p><strong>4:30 PM<strong>

It had been two weeks. Two weeks since Max attempted to assert her independence by throwing a party. Two weeks since Max was captured. Two weeks at the School, a place Max could easily designate as the worst place on Earth. She hadn't been to many places, but knew that she would never forget her time there. And that wasn't a good thing, either.

She had learned which Whitecoats were "good," or as good as they could be, and which ones were just completely awful. The relatively "good" ones were Anne, of course, Dr. Stevens, Dr. Lang, and Dr. Martin. The awful ones were Dr. Newman (though most wouldn't have been able to tell), Dr. Wilkinson, who now had it out for her, Dr. Gilbert, Dr. Zarelli, and, well, the rest.

Max had a special feeling of hate for Dr. Robin Zarelli, the scientist who had plucked her feather and wanted to see her after the maze incident. When she had finally gotten to "examine" Max, Dr. Zarelli had strapped her down to an operating table, plucked more feathers (honestly, what was the big deal? They were just fucking _feathers)_, given her a few injections that made Max ache all over, then, with Max still hurt, made her run laps down the hallway, laughing the whole time. Since then, she had been in to run tests on Max a few times. After one particularly brutal experiment, with Max collapsed on the floor, Dr. Zarelli had waved a carton of Chinese food-Max's favorite-in her face.

_"Do you want a bite?" _she had asked. When Max nodded, she said, _"You do, huh? Well, I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I'd have to ask the Director first, and you know what she'll say. I'm sorry that you can't have any of this yummy tangerine chicken. Mmm, I sure am. Oh well, more for me! Looks like you'll have to stick to cafeteria food!" _

Dr. Zarelli hadn't even eaten the whole thing, that was the most obnoxious part. She had only eaten, like, two bites before throwing it out. And Max had too much pride and dignity to go digging through the trash.

On that day, Max was surprised to see Jeb come into her room to take her to testing. She hadn't seen much of her father since arriving there. He had been out on business trips, showing off the latest test results from Max and the others.

"Hello, Max," he said with a brisk nod.

"Hello, father," Max said back.

"How have you been holding up?" He gave Max a once-over.

Max was sure she looked awful. When she had stepped out of the shower that morning, she realized how pale she was. She was pale from too many drugs, too much testing, too little time outside. Make that _no _time outside.

"Fine," she lied.

"Good to hear," Jeb said. "I just thought you should know, the house is back to normal. Those friends of yours did a number on the kitchen."

"Sorry about that." The party seemed so far away, so far removed from her current situation. What had she been thinking? She had it pretty good back then, only having to go to the School once every couple of weeks, and living in her own home. Getting to fly sometimes. Seeing her friends. Going to a real school. Now, for all intents and purposes, she was in a prison.

"So what fun things do I have to do today?" Max asked.

"Don't be sarcastic, Max," Jeb warned her. "You're getting a CAT scan."

"With who?"

"Dr. Zarelli."

Jeb must have noticed Max's expression, because he rolled his eyes. "Grow up. She's not that bad."

"Yes, she is."

"It's either that, or Dr. Wilkinson can take you to run the maze again."

"No thank you."

"Exactly." He led her to a small white room and handed her a hospital gown. "She'll be in in five or so minutes."

Max changed into the gown and sat down in a plastic chair, waiting for the evil Dr. Zarelli to arrive.

"Good afternoon, Subject 991," Dr. Zarelli greeted her. That was another annoying trait. She insisted on calling Max by her ID number, despite the fact that everyone else called her by her real name.

"You too," Max snapped, crossing her arms.

"Well, unfortunately, we won't be doing anything real interesting today." She pouted. By "interesting," she meant "potentially harmful and dangerous."

"Boo hoo," Max said sarcastically, despite her father's words.

"What I need you to do is lie perfectly still," Dr. Zarelli explained. "And maybe afterwards, I can see what other tests they want me to do."

_Great, _Max thought, lying back.

**5 PM**

Back in her room, Max collapsed onto her bed, pulling her comforter up to her ears. She didn't even bother to change out of her hospital gown. She was _so _tired.

She pulled out her phone and dialed Fang's number.

"Hey," he said. "Look, I have a surprise for you."

"What?" Max asked, sitting up.

"I bought us plane tickets to New York," he said.

"When?" she demanded.

"Tomorrow night. That means you've gotta pack up and get out of there like we talked about."

"I remember the plan." She had overheard the scientists talking: she was scheduled for _another _procedure at six the following day. She would knock him or her out, grab their keys and her stuff, and run for the front door, where Fang would be waiting in his car. They would then drive to LA International Airport, hop on the Red Eye flight to LaGuardia Airport in New York City, and take a cab to her mother's house.

"I'm scared, Fang. But I'm excited too," Max whispered.

"Me too, Max." He paused. "I'll let you rest. We have a big day tomorrow."

"Yes, we do," Max agreed. As always, she hung up her phone and hid it, closing her eyes to sleep afterwards. She didn't care how early it was.

A little while later, she heard a bunch of scientists come in. She saw them sit in various places around her room and began taking notes, despite the fact that Max was just taking a nap.

"Unusual sleeping patterns," one of them whispered to another.

For once, Max didn't even care. The joke would be on them when she got on that plane to New York City.


	14. Escape

**A/N: THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! Remember Subject 5308, the girl from chapter 10? I wrote a seperate story about her life starting at age 13. It is called...ahem...Subject 5308...so go read it (: Warning: It's not exactly a "happy" story." I mean, what would you expect? It's about a girl with extreme intelligence who grows up in a lab and escapes only to live on the streets...but I put a lot of effort into it so you should all read and review! **

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><p><strong>5:30 PM<strong>

Max looked around at her room. She had left most of the decorations up, but packed up all her clothes into a small suitcase Jeb had brought. Even though she was supposed to have another procedure, she wasn't wearing the regulation hospital gown. She was wearing a pair of jeans and an "I Heart New York" sweatshirt. She was ready for action, or at least a flight.

She knew the plan like the back of her hand. Fang would hopefully already be there in the parking lot. When a scientist came to take her away, she would utilize her super-strength and kick his or her ass. Then, she'd make a run for the front door and jump into Fang's car. After that, they would be bound for New York City.

Max impatiently tapped her foot, waiting. _Come on, Dr. Evil, hurry up already. _

"Hello, hello!" a familiar voice exclaimed. Good. Dr. Newman was the easiest one to take down. "You ready?" she asked, her eyes glimmering.

At any other time, Max would have thought about how horrific it was that Dr. Newman and the others got joy out of watching others in pain. But this time, she didn't care. She'd be the one laughing.

"You bet I am," Max said, grinning like a woman with a plan.

"Oh, well, look at you!" Dr. Newman playfully nudged Max. "You sure are in a good mood."

Max smiled and tilted her head. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Dr. Newman reached for Max. But Max intercepted her arm, grabbing it and flinging her onto the floor.

"What the-"

Max hit her over the head with a book, a hefty John Grisham crime novel. _Thanks, Johnny, _she thought, watching Dr. Newman fall unconscious. Max grabbed her bag and made a run for it.

At first, nobody noticed her. But once she made it to the lobby, she saw Dr. Wilkinson and her father headed towards her.

"Going somewhere?" Jeb asked from across the room. The two tried to catch up, but Max already had a head start. "I don't think so."

"Bye-bye," Max called casually before pushing the front door open and running towards Fang's idling car.

"Drive!" she commanded, throwing her bag into the back.

He shifted gears and floored it, accelerating as they drove out of the School's parking lot and onto the highway.

"Oh, thank God," Max said, sighing in relief as she leaned back against the car's headrest. "Wait. No. Thank _you._"

"No problem. What are friends for?" Fang asked.

"So your parents are completely fine with you jetting off to New York with your winged friend?" Max asked.

"They don't even know. They're out of town too, remember? I'll be back by the time they get home." Fang grinned sneakily.

"You liar," Max joked. "It's okay. What they don't know won't hurt them."

"I need to tell you something," Fang asked seriously, changing the mood.

"What?"

"You know, you're a really great person," he said quietly. "I know you're moving to New York and all, but I'd like to keep in touch. And when we're in New York, do you want to go ice skating on Central Park or something?"

"Are you kidding me?" Max demanded, narrowing her eyes. Then, her face softened. "Hell yes. I've been waiting for you to ask me out since I told you about my wings."

"Well, what better time than when you're running away from a secret lab run by maniacs?" Fang joked.

**7:00 PM**

Getting through security was surprisingly easy, and the two of them were sitting side by side on a jumbo jet ready to depart for the East Coast.

"Welcome to flight 5512a to LaGuardia International Airport. This flight will be approximately four hours and fifty five minutes. In New York, it's a bit chilly, so I hope you all packed your sweaters!"

The passengers chuckled.

"During this flight, the movie _Everything is Illuminated _will be shown."

"That's my favorite movie!" Max whisper-yelled to Fang.

"What do you know?" Fang asked, smiling. "It's like you were born to fly on this plane."

"As always, this is a no-smoking flight. Food and beverages will be served; please consult the menu in your seat-back pocket for dining options available. Again, welcome aboard flight 5512a, and thank you for flying with Delta Airlines."

Max grinned as the airplane took off, flying into the sky like Max had done so many times. Only this time, it kept going, and going, and going, until they were above the clouds and everything that had happened over the past couple of weeks.

Max looked over at Fang, who was dozing peacefully, and decided to close her eyes as well. For the first time in weeks, she fell into a happy, dreamless sleep.

**2:50 AM EST**

"Attention all passengers about flight 5512a," the flight attendant said, waking Max up. "We are beginning our descent into LaGuardia International Airport. Please dispose of all service items, fasten your tray tables and return your seats to the upright and locked position."

Max looked out the window. She could see the lights of New York City ahead of her.

"Hey, Fang," she whispered, poking him.

"Huh-wha?" he asked sleepily.

"Look."

Fang smiled as he saw the lights of the skyscrapers.

"We're almost there."

Fang reached for her hand and squeezed it. "Yeah, we are."

As the plane flew down towards solid ground, Max started humming a song she heard a while ago.

_New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of_

_There's nothing you can't do_

_Now you're in New York_

_These streets will make you feel brand new_

_Big lights will inspire you_

_Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York..._


	15. Welcome Home

**3:30 AM EST**

Max looked out the window with excitement as the cabbie drove from LaGuardia Airport in Queens into Manhattan. Even at the late (or early) hour, the lights of New York City still lit up the sky.

"66th and Central Park West, right?" he asked, eyeing the two teenagers.

"Yup," Max said. That was the address of her mother, Valencia Martinez's apartment.

Max was nervous and excited at the same time. She wasn't sure if her mother would recognize her after all these years. If she'd be accepted, wings or not. But she had to try. Anyway, she couldn't go back to LA now, not after running away from her father and the School.

Surprisingly, Max didn't feel guilty at all about not saying goodbye to Jeb. She didn't view him as a father, and he definitely didn't view her as a daughter, just a test subject. Hey, what goes around, comes around.

_You treat people like shit, I won't give you the time of day, _Max thought. Then she shook her head, forgetting about Jeb and his nonsense. It was a new era now. A new day was dawning in the world of Maxine Batchelder-er, Martinez.

The cab drove under a tunnel. Max felt her ears pop as they accelerated through the lanes, finally coming up on a long highway-FDR Drive. The cabbie drove along FDR before turning west onto 66th Street.

"Almost there," Fang whispered to Max.

"Almost home," Max added, grinning with excitement. "How long are you going to stay here for?"

"Just tomorrow-slash-today," Fang said. "I'm sorry. I have to go back."

"I know," Max said. "I'll miss you. Don't forget to call once in a while."

"Hey, you too," Fang said. "You'll be having all kinds of adventures here. I bet flying'll be fun."

The cabbie glanced at them once again.

Max giggled conspiratorially. "You betcha."

"Give my regards to Broadway," Fang joked.

"Come on, Fang. Let's save the goodbyes for later," Max said. "I don't want to show up at my mom's house all teary-eyed and sappy."

"Deal." Fang grinned.

"Alright. That'll be thirty bucks," the cabbie said.

Fang reached for his wallet and pulled out two twenties. "I'll take, um, six back."

Taking his change, the two stepped out of the cab and walked down the street.

"9130 66th," Max said, looking at the building numbers. Finally she found it. "Well, here goes nothing."

She looked for her mother's apartment number, 33B, and rang the bell. She rang it for a while, expecting her to be asleep.

Max was correct. A few minutes later, Valencia Martinez, a tall woman with long black hair, walked down to the front door, bleary eyed and grouchy.

"What the hell do you kids want this early? I swear to God-" She stopped. "Do I know you?"

"I'm Max," Max introduced herself, blushing shyly. "And I'm your daughter."

It took Valencia a moment to process this before she leaped forward and embraced Max. "Oh my God. Oh my God. Max. It's been so long..." She felt the lump on Max's back. "What the-"

"It's a long story," Max said. "Let's just say, I've got some..."

"Extra parts," Fang added.

"You mean? That son of a bitch," Valencia swore. "What did Jeb do to you?"

"He...gave me wings," Max said uncomfortably. "But I'm fine now. You don't need to worry about me."

Valencia hugged her again. "I can't believe you're back after all these years."

"Me either. But you always find your way back home," Max said.

"What about..." She looked at Fang.

"This is my friend, Fang," Max introduced him. "He helped me get here."

Valencia sighed. "We'll have to work this all out in the morning. It's late. But for now, let's just get you guys settled in, alright?"

Max nodded, too shocked and happy to say much else.

Valencia put her arm around Max. "I've never been happier to be woken up at three AM."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: THEEE END! Hope you all enjoyed this fun little story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Now I can focus on my other 2 stories (: Please read and review my latest story, Subject 5308 (about the little girl from chapter 10). It's kind of sad but you should all like it! Chapter 2 is up and 3 will be up later! Also I will be updating New York, I Love You soon as well so stay tuned (: **

**Fly on. Stay classy. Eat your vegetables. **

**Jess (:**


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